


Ride the wave of fate, it don't ride me

by victoria_p (musesfool)



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Padmé Amidala Lives, Time Travel Fix-It, artoo is the real hero of the saga, the skywalker family tragedy, the skywalkers have no chill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesfool/pseuds/victoria_p
Summary: Leia falls asleep on Yavin IV and wakes up on Mustafar, nineteen years earlier.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa
Comments: 46
Kudos: 358





	Ride the wave of fate, it don't ride me

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Shadrach" by Beastie Boys.

Even with all the remodeling the Alliance had done to turn it into a usable base of operations, the Massassi Temple still contained small, out of the way spaces that sometimes felt oddly cold, given that the HVAC units set up on the ground level could barely cool down the hangar and the command center. The rest of the place—barracks and conference rooms and storage areas alike—ran from comfortably warm to unbearably muggy.

As the celebration after the destruction of the Death Star wound down, Leia found her way to one of these odd, cool spaces. Luke had long since passed out and Han was distracted by a game of sabacc with Wedge and the surviving pilots. General Dodonna had broken out his stash of Corellian whiskey, and they'd toasted to their victory, and to all the lives it had cost them, and Leia was...tipsy. 

_A princess does not get 'drunk,'_ one of her aunts had liked to say. _She is instead 'delightfully tipsy_.' And Leia would never hear her say it again. She leaned against the rough, cool stone and let out the sob that climbed her throat. She'd been choking it back since the moment Tarkin had ordered the destruction of Alderaan, but it could no longer be denied.

That sob was followed by another, and another, and another. She'd never be able to shed enough tears for all the lives that had been lost, that she wasn't able to save, because protecting the Alliance was more important. 

Knowing that Tarkin was always going to pull the trigger didn't help much. Knowing he was so much space dust now helped a little more, but with Vader and the Emperor still out there, it wasn't near enough.

She cried herself to sleep, trying to hold her parents' faces in her mind, knowing she'd never get to see them again.

*

Leia woke slowly to pressure in her bladder and a headache pounding behind her eyes. She was warmer now than when she fell asleep, a smooth metal surface beneath her cheek. Had she stumbled back to her quarters, or maybe one of the ships in the hangar? She couldn't quite remember. She squinted blearily at her surroundings; the ship didn't look familiar, but she couldn't claim she knew _every_ ship that docked on Yavin IV, only most of them.

There was a private fresher in the cabin, so she took advantage of it to wash her face and brush the taste of stale liquor out of her mouth. She smoothed down flyaway hairs and frowned at her stained and rumpled white gown, and sighed. It had served her through her flight from Scarif, her imprisonment and torture on the Death Star, and the battle above Yavin. It could serve a few minutes more, till she got back to her quarters and could shower in her own space.

As if the en suite fresher wasn't hint enough, the rest of the ship was more luxurious than anything she'd seen on an Alliance base that didn't belong to her parents, and even Papa usually used a freighter that couldn't be traced back to the royal family when he flew on Alliance business.

The planet she saw out the viewport was all wrong—harsh blacks and fiery reds where there was nothing but lush green and bright blue on Yavin IV. And instead of Rebel pilots in orange jumpsuits milling around waiting for orders, there was a tall young man in brown robes yelling at a very pregnant woman who looked vaguely familiar.

Leia put aside her uneasiness at the oddities of her situation and pushed her way out of the ship.

"Hey," she yelled, storming down the gangway to the woman's side. "Have some consideration." Leia touched the woman's elbow gently with the tips of her fingers—an offer of support, even if it came from a stranger.

They both stared at her as she placed herself between them.

"Who the kriff are you?" the man asked, his flat Outer Rim accent reminding her suddenly of Luke, even though he was much taller. "Padmé?" His voice softened in uncertainty, but Leia didn't spare him a second glance.

"Padmé Amidala?" she asked breathlessly, eyes wide in surprise. "You're alive?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't she be?" The man narrowed his eyes at Leia, the weight of anger in his gaze oddly familiar. "Was that a threat?"

Leia huffed at him in annoyance before turning her attention back to Senator Amidala. "No, but my father—Bail Organa—he said you were a good friend, and that you died on Empire Day." Leia shook her head as if to clear it; she still didn't know how she'd gotten here, but she knew Amidala could be trusted. Even if she hadn't been sure, the sight of Artoo speeding his way over the uneven terrain would have eased her mind. Artoo would never betray the Rebellion. "We should get you somewhere safe. We just destroyed the Emperor's most fearsome weapon and he's not going to be pleased."

Leia followed Amidala's gaze, which flicked to the man who'd been yelling at her. He looked angry and confused and as if he'd been crying, and he opened his mouth as if to start yelling again. 

Before any of them had a chance to say anything, Artoo electrocuted the man, and he went down hard. Artoo rolled back and forth, beeping wildly, and Leia wished she understood binary better, since he seemed both upset and righteously furious and she couldn't tell which was more appropriate. Given the way the man had been shouting, Leia thought righteous fury was probably the correct response, but Amidala didn't seem to agree.

She cried out, "Anakin!" and gingerly lowered herself to her knees beside him.

"Senator Amidala, are you all right?"

Leia looked over to the gangway of the ship where she'd woken up. A man in robes stood at the top with his hands on his hips.

"Obi-Wan, help me get Anakin onto the ship."

Leia stared at the man as he made his way down to them. "Obi-Wan...Kenobi?" she asked hesitantly. "Didn't I just see you die?"

Kenobi frowned at her. "The future is always in motion," he intoned sententiously and gestured vaguely with one hand. "Do not mistake your visions for reality."

"Visions?" she replied skeptically. "But Vader—"

"How do you know that name?" Kenobi stepped closer, his hand landing on the hilt of the lightsaber on his belt.

"We don't have time for this, Obi-Wan," Amidala said, awkwardly attempting to rise. Leia offered her a hand. "We need to get Anakin onto my ship and get out of here." Amidala cradled her pregnant belly meaningfully.

"You're right." Obi-Wan bent and hefted Anakin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

Once back on the ship, Threepio greeted them in his usual anxious way. "Oh dear, oh dear, what happened to Master Ani in this dreadful place?"

 _Master Ani_? Leia mouthed to herself. How did Artoo and Threepio even get here? They should have been with Luke.

Artoo blatted viciously and Threepio reared back in shock. "You did what, Artoo? Oh you malfunctioning ingrate. We'll be lucky he doesn't melt us down to slag when he wakes up."

"He would never hurt you," Amidala said, resting a hand on Threepio's arm. "He's just a little...confused right now."

"Senator—Padmé—"

Padmé paled and sucked in a sharp breath, her hand returning to her belly. "Leave it for now, Obi-Wan. We have more pressing concerns." 

Kenobi's worried look transformed into a frown as he glanced from Padmé to Leia, but he didn't argue. He took Anakin to one of the cabins in the back of the ship, and then headed to the cockpit.

Leia helped Padmé settle comfortably and allowed her hand to be squeezed whenever Padmé had a contraction. Kenobi might not know what's happening, but Leia had spent enough time in medical tents in refugee camps to know that Padmé's baby was on the way. 

Mama and Papa were gone, but Leia took comfort in the discovery that one of their old friends, one of the original founders of the Alliance, was still alive. She wondered if Mon knew, or if she'd be as thrilled as Leia was. Leia tried not to focus on the fact that General Kenobi was about twenty years younger than he'd been when Vader had murdered him two days ago on the Death Star. Maybe he'd had a son and hadn't told anyone? Luke's father was supposedly a Jedi—maybe they all had secret kids who could turn up and help the Alliance in their hour of need. It seemed as likely as anything right now.

As they made the jump to hyperspace, Padmé's hand tightened around Leia's again, breaking her reverie. Kenobi joined them a few minutes later. 

"I've laid in a course for Polis Massa," he said. "It should be far enough out of the way that Palpatine won't look there, but able to handle any complications that may arise with your," he paused and his jaw worked silently for a moment as he tried to come up with the right word before settling on, "your condition."

"Thank you," Padmé said. Sweat was beading on her upper lip, and Kenobi offered her a handkerchief.

"Now," he said, turning his gaze to Leia, "I've known Bail Organa for years, and he doesn't have a daughter."

"I'm adopted," Leia offered, raising her chin defiantly.

"I see." Kenobi stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If you hadn't mentioned Bail, I would have assumed you were one of Senator Amidala's handmaidens. You certainly look the part, and this is her ship. I don't mean to tell you your business—" 

"But clearly you're going to," Leia interrupted, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

He frowned repressively, the ends of his mustache quivering with disapproval. "But disguising yourself as a handmaiden would have been the wiser course. If you're one of Palpatine's lackeys—"

"I am Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," she was proud of herself for getting the name out without a sob, "and I am a member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Which was founded by Mon Mothma, Padmé Amidala, and my father in the waning days of the Republic. For nineteen years, we've fought to bring down Palpatine's Empire. I will not sit here and be accused of being that man's _lackey_ after everything I've lost to the Empire." She rose to her feet. She didn't have to stay here and listen to this bantha shit.

"And where do you plan to go?" Kenobi asked pleasantly. "We've still got at least an hour in hyperspace before we arrive anywhere."

Leia wanted to smack the smug smile off his face, but she settled for sniffing angrily before sitting back down. "I'm going to stay here with Senator Amidala and monitor her contractions. If you'd be so kind as to get us both a cup of tea."

He and Padmé exchanged a look that Leia couldn't read and then he dipped his head in a mocking bow. "We come to serve."

Leia fumed quietly while timing Padmé's contractions. Padmé gave her a sad smile. "We've had a rough few days. Few years, to be honest. But for what it's worth, I don't think you're one of Palpatine's spies." Her smile turned wry. "You would have tried to attack me by now." She shifted on the sofa, obviously trying to find a more comfortable position. "Tell me more about what Mon and Bail have been up to. I've been...distracted." 

Leia gave her an abbreviated account of the past few days, warmed by the way Padmé gasped and squeezed her hand when she sketched out her torture at Vader's hands, and Tarkin's destruction of Alderaan.

"I promise you, we will defeat Palpatine," Padmé said, her voice low and hard, and her eyes shining with conviction.

Leia blinked back the tears that threatened to fall again. "I know."

Kenobi came back then with two steaming mugs of tea, and Leia gave him a chilly thanks, which just seemed to amuse him.

The tea was hot and bitter, and it warmed her to her bones. It was only just before she passed out with her head on Padmé's shoulder that she realized he'd drugged it.

*

Leia woke with a start. She'd been having the oddest dreams since arriving at the base on Yavin IV a few days ago, and this one was no different. Mom and Dad had been there—they'd been so _young_ —and Uncle Obi and the droids, but something had been wrong. Someone was missing. She bolted upright and nearly fell flat on her face when her feet tangled in the sheets.

"Luke! Where's Luke?"

Mom sat at the foot of the bed. She cocked her head, and in the warm yellow light of the small room, strands of silver gleamed in her dark hair. "He and your father are escorting Phoenix Squadron around the Death Star debris field."

"Is Aunt Ahsoka with them?"

Mom smiled impishly. "You tell me."

Leia huffed a small laugh and reached out with the Force. Luke and Dad were two supernovas, burning bright in the sky above Yavin's fourth moon. But even they couldn't obscure Aunt Ahsoka's warmth, now that Leia was searching for her. 

"She's here." Her brief scan told her that Uncle Obi was somewhere in the Temple as well, probably with Mon and the rest of High Command in the command center. He usually ran interference whenever Dad showed up on a Rebel base. "And Uncle Obi, too."

Mom smiled, wide and bright and hopeful, and Leia smiled back. 

Dad didn't visit often—he was away a lot, and he usually took the most dangerous missions High Command had to offer, often with only Ahsoka and Rex as backup, though lately he'd been taking Luke as well. Leia always hoped that he'd ask her to join him, but she was frequently needed to help set up various bases. She had a talent for logistics and organization that the Alliance relied on, and since she'd turned fifteen, she also worked as Mom's assistant, and sometimes even helped write her speeches. It wasn't as exciting as being the one slicing into an Imperial comms tower to make sure the broadcasts of those speeches were heard, but it was useful, meaningful work. 

Dad had sided with the Emperor way back when the Republic fell, and some members of the Alliance still held it against him, even though he'd proved himself time and again in the years since. Leia didn't know much about what happened back then, only that she'd been named after the woman who'd held Mom's hand the day she and Luke were born. 

One day, Leia swore, she would get the whole story out of her parents, or out of Artoo and Threepio, because she was pretty sure they'd been there as well, and Artoo, at least, could be bribed with the promise of excitement, and the chance to strike a blow at the Empire. 

For now, Leia was glad that her family was going to all be together again in the same place for the first time in years. Together, she believed, they could do anything.


End file.
